Germany is a federal parliamentary republic located in Western-Central Europe. With a population of approximately 83 million, Germany is the most populous country in the European Union, nearly 17 million more than the United Kingdom. Germany is the world's third largest exporter and Europe's largest economy. Its language is German. Its Internet coverage rate is 83%, its per capita GDP is close to US$50,000, and it has 52 million online consumers, making it the country with the largest number of Internet users in Europe. In 2017, German online shoppers spent an average of €1,515 on e-commerce sites.
E-commerce trends in the German market:
1. Target different consumer behaviors: female business.
The so-called "women's business", or "her business", refers to e-commerce products and services targeting women, and this market is lucrative. Today, women’s purchasing power is at an all-time high. If e-commerce companies can address women’s individual needs, shopping behaviors, and decision-making processes, they will be more successful than those companies that take a “one-size-fits-all” approach to gender equality.
2. Service APP: convenient and time-saving
The success of startups such as GoButler, Shopwings, HelloFresh, DeliveryHero, John'sBell, ZipJet, Helpling, James, Bitt, etc. reflects a major trend: convenient and time-saving services.
Time is the most precious commodity. These startups provide daily services such as cleaning, express delivery, air travel reservations, restaurant reservations, event planning, etc., which reflected huge market demand in 2014 and experienced significant growth.
3. Comprehensive sales strategy
Consumers now require more and more diverse online transaction functions, including browsing, purchasing, returns and exchanges, as well as pre-sales and after-sales services, and hope to be able to decide when, where and how to shop.
To do retail well, we must pay attention to the combination of different sales and marketing methods and optimize the overall network configuration. Consumers increasingly need online and offline connectivity. Therefore, it is very important to create a seamless online and offline shopping experience and carry out targeted marketing for shopping behaviors on multiple platforms.
German consumer habits:
1. Be rigorous
Germans are very rigorous and have high requirements for product quality. 80% of Germans will read the sales and after-sales service terms in detail before purchasing. If you are determined to enter the German e-commerce market, remember to have clear and detailed product pages, product prices and return policies.
2. Payment Methods
Every country has its own preferred payment method, and Germany is no exception. The four most common payment methods used by Germans are: outstanding invoices, PayPal, credit cards and direct debit.
3. Logistics and distribution
Across the German market, customers have high expectations for delivery costs, speed, and a variety of delivery methods. They also want to be able to intervene in the delivery process, such as changing the delivery address or time. Consumers' expectations for logistics are getting higher and higher as the market advances rapidly.
This is the end of the knowledge about the German e-commerce market in this issue. If you want to get more information about the German e-commerce market, please pay attention and we will continue to answer your questions~
